We walked upstairs to the Haven Restaurant for breakfast this morning. I ordered poached eggs and bacon for breakfast. The thoughtful Roluca had the kitchen make my poached eggs over the gluten free bread. After breakfast we sat outside on the Haven sundeck for a while but it was extremely windy again. We decided to try our hand at the very expensive Bingo. NCL offers a few different bingo options the pricier the package the more raffle tickets or instant win tickets you receive. We did not win and really felt we ended up spending $30 to people watch and give ourselves a good chuckle. For lunch we decided to try the Sushi restaurant. I ordered the Octopus, Shrimp and Tuna. The seafood was fresh and appealing to look at unfortunately the rice wasn't cooked properly and the size of the rice wasn't in proportion to the seafood. Greg did enjoy the Spider Roll and something that had a name close to 50 shades of grey. In the afternoon we ventured back to O'Sheehans for drinks and darts before heading back to our room to watch a movie. We weren't sure if it was a Suite thing, an error, or for everyone but the movies on demand were all free. Before dinner we went to the Mixx Bar. We really liked the dark wood bar, classy feel, and friendly staff. We had a reservation for Cagney's (Steakhouse) and were seated right away. Then things took a turn for the worst. We sat there for 20 minutes before someone came and asked us about drinks. Our wine was delivered and 10 minutes later we were asked about our order. In all other restaurants the staff knew about my allergies and/or easily accommodated me. Our waiter proceeded to scold me when I mentioned my allergies by telling me I should have pre-ordered. A steakhouse should be the easiest option to avoid Gluten and Dairy! Plus I'm not the type of person to try and order Macaroni and Cheese and expect a miracle dish to be made for me that avoids my allergies. I ordered a steak plain, baked potato, and steamed broccoli. I should have just walked out at the point! As we're sitting and waiting for our food we notice that we are surrounded by empty tables that haven't been cleaned and it's been 15 minutes that our wine glasses were empty. Toward the end of the meal we must have had really displeased looks on our faces because another waiter came over to us and started joking around and told me I just had to have the lemon sorbet for dessert. We really appreciated the effort he made and the lemon sorbet was actually the best part of the meal!
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After sleeping in a bit we called our butler to order room service. Jorji was easy to reach and understood about my allergies but informed us that it would be a wait for breakfast as they were very busy this morning. We weren't in a rush so that was fine. When Jorji brought our food he said he was overwhelmed with the amount of people in the suites (families). Breakfast was fine although a tad on the cold side but not really a big deal to us. After breakfast we headed up a floor to the Haven pool deck. We found two chairs right next to the pool. The chairs were already set up with pillows and towels and were pretty comfortable. Today was a dangerous day in the sun because of the wind. We never felt hot (actually it was kind of chilly) but the sun was definitely strong. There are staff members who bring around fruit skewers and ask if you would like a cocktail but we ended up going inside to the Haven bar to get out of the sun for a bit. The entire Haven area is relaxing, beautiful, and offers friendly staff who go out of their way to make your vacation wonderful. In the afternoon we headed back to O'Sheehans for drinks, french fries and a friendly game of darts! We met a fun and bubbly couple from Miami. Such a great afternoon!
For dinner we chose to try the Haven Restaurant. We both started with the salad (mine had oil and vinegar dressing on the side). Greg enjoyed the Beef Shortrib dish while I enjoyed the Filet Mignon and steamed vegetables. We had to cancel our tickets to Burn the Floor as my Sea Sickness struck again! The ship did have some movement heading down to the Caribbean and depending on where I sat on the ship it would hit me harder. I will say that the motion was never as bad as our cruise on Celebrity Reflection! Pre-Cruise: We originally booked this cruise in February in a Mini Spa Suite. We became extremely frustrated with Norwegian Cruise Line after they changed many options after our final payment date. Those changes were: · Increase in Daily Service Charge. · Increase in Beverage prices and Beverage package. · Decrease in beverage menu offerings. · Mandatory gratuity in specialty restaurants. · Charging 7.95 for each room service order. · Food can no longer be taken from any restaurants (later this was reverted thanks to customer complaints) Thanks to Greg's hard work he received a bonus from work and so we decided to upgrade to the Haven Penthouse Suite. The Haven is "a ship within a ship." The Haven Suites are larger, offer more amenities, have access to a private lounge, have access to a private restaurant, have access to a private pool and sundeck, and receive priority treatment. With our Haven booking we received NCL's beverage package, dining package, gratuities, 300 OBC (on board credit), and 100 OBC from our travel agent Donna (BC Travel Company). We also ended up getting a $75 OBC for a price decrease on the room. Another perk to booking in the Haven area is the pre-concierge. I contacted the pre-concierge department to customize our room. You can select from a pillow menu, tea menu, coffee menu, and ask for the mini fridge to be emptied. Before we cruised we made dinner reservations, show reservations, and booked a shore excursion for Tortola. Day 1 As part of the Haven Suites category we receive a private check in area, private lounge area, and priority access onto the ship from the pier. Check in at Terminal B was very quick and efficient. We were in the initial lounge for only 5 minutes when we were escorted upstairs. Unfortunately, this is when everyone began getting frustrated (Greg and I were the least frustrated of the group as we figure we're on vacation). We were brought to a 2nd lounge where there were already suite guests as well as a wedding party. We started to notice that guests in the regular terminal were being allowed on board, then the wedding party got called on board, and finally someone explained that we should have been on board first. Off we went to the ship and the staff greeted us with a warm welcome and some dancing. We then had a private elevator ride up to the Haven Lounge. In the lounge we were offered a beverage, sliders, and french fries while the Concierge explained a little about the benefits. We were told that most of the rooms were ready however ours wasn't so we explored the ship for a while. For lunch we chose to eat in the Haven restaurant. This is where we met Roluca! Roluca is the Maitre d of the Haven restaurant. Roluca is warm, friendly, funny and truly went out of her way to make sure my allergies (Dairy, Gluten, and Soy) weren't a problem when dining in the restaurant and even in some of other areas. I enjoyed a salad with oil and vinegar to start and the steak topped with rosemary. The steak was on the thin side and unfortunately it was a bit over cooked but very flavor. Greg enjoyed the salad to start and the swordfish. Upon entering in 15122 we really liked what we saw! The Haven Penthouse Suite offers a large room, king size bed, table and chairs, flat screen tv, counter tops and drawers space, a mini fridge (which we had emptied so I could store my low fodmap snacks), a Lavazza coffee machine, 2 closets, a safe, large bathroom including a tub, a small balcony with two chairs and a small table. We did notice that the room was very dusty and that our room attendant Clark was only efficient not wonderful. Our butler Jorji stopped by our room to introduce himself. Throughout our stay Jorji was friendly and helpful but definitely seemed overloaded with suites that had more than 2 guests in them. Whenever we would call him he was running from one place to another and it would be a small wait. Greg and I ventured around the ship again in the late afternoon. I read reviews prior to our cruise and here's my thoughts on some of the statements:
We started the evening with Anit at the Mojito bar. I loved my Pineapple Mojito (Tito Vodka since rum isn't Fodmap friendly)! Tonight we had dinner reservations at Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian. Ocean Blue was definitely our favorite restaurant on the ship and we booked it again for later in the week. At Ocean Blue the staff came over to our table right away with the Chef to discuss my allergies. The chef took more order with out any hesitation. We started with Beef Tartar and Mussels. Both of these dishes were incredible! Full of flavor, texture, and beautifully presented. For entrees we enjoyed the duck and the sole. Our entrees were perfectly cooked and seasoned nicely. The staff at Ocean Blue are phenomenal. The staff executed service perfectly and you could tell they all had high standards. To end the meal I enjoyed a trio of sorbets. Creme de Casis, Coconut, and Strawberry. All three were dairy free, creamy, and well balanced. After dinner I wish we could have gone out longer unfortunately my sea sickness was showing up even after taking medicine. Note: Bonine contains dairy! I ended up taking CVS brand fast melting motion sickness tabs.
Coming up: Day 2 At Sea
For our 16th wedding anniversary we decided to take a week's cruise to the Caribbean on Norwegian Getaway. Early on we decided we wanted to drive down to Florida. For some insane reason road trips relax us! Two goofballs in the car listening to music and watching the different sights go by really puts us at ease!
Our original plan was to leave before the sun rose on Friday morning. Drive to the Homewood Suites Daytona Beach Speedway and try to catch a few z's before heading to Miami Pier on Saturday morning. On Thursday afternoon we took Fred for a walk. Here's our conversation and why Greg and I fit together: Greg: I wish we could just leave tonight after dinner with your family! Me: Do you mean drive all through the night to Florida? Greg: Yup Me: You know you're insane right? We would be leaving in 5 hours! Greg: Yup but we'd get to Daytona early :-) Me: Okay I guess we should go buy some Monster energy drinks! We celebrated our anniversary and our belated Mother's Day with my family. Said see you soon to Fred, hopped in the car and made our way to Florida!
21 hours later we arrived at Homewood Suites Daytona Beach Speedway. For my review of the hotel visit HERE Luckily we had several options for shopping and dining in the area. We went up the road to Five Guys . Five Guys can be free of Dairy, Gluten, and Soy. I ordered my bacon burger in a lettuce wrap with a side of french fries and we headed back to the hotel to relax for the night.
In the morning we left too early to try the breakfast offered by the Homewood Suites. We ventured over to Starbucks where I can enjoy an Iced Mocha that is Dairy, Gluten, and Soy free thanks to the new addition of coconut milk to the menu. I can also always find a fruit cup for breakfast at Starbucks. 4 hours later and we were at the Port of Miami. We ventured to Terminal B and dropped off our luggage(including a case of water for our room), tipped our porter, and drove to the next corner to the parking garage. Up next is my full review of our Caribbean Cruise aboard Norwegian Getaway. Our first stop was Puerto Rico. We have visited Puerto Rico multiple times on other cruises and for resort vacations. Since we were only in town for a few hours the four of us thought it would be best to just wander around Old San Juan.
Our friends have never been to Barrachina and yes it's touristy and normally somewhere we wouldn't venture to but as the birthplace of the Pina Colada I think it's worth the stop. I settled on a Mojito while the others enjoyed their Pina Colada's. Next we wandered through some stores and galleries. A few favorites of mine are Puerto Rican Arts & Crafts (everything from local gourmet food to artwork), Spicy Caribee (sauces, spices, local baked goods), and the Coach Outlet (best styles and prices of any Coach outlet I have been to). The 2nd stop of our cruise was St Thomas. Together we decided to do the shore excursion St John on your own. The ferry ride over was small but pleasant. Once we got to Cruz Bay we hopped in an open cab to the beach. We knew everyone would head to Trunk Bay so we opted for Cinnamon Bay. Cinnamon Bay is a beautiful beach and definitely wasn't crowded. Before our ferry back to St Thomas we decided to grab some lunch. We chose Joe's Rum Hut in Cruz Bay. The Painkillers (drink) were delicious and perfectly combined. We also enjoyed conch fritters, burgers, and a shrimp salad. Back on St Thomas we wandered through the shops at Havensight Mall and Yacht Haven Grande. We picked up a couple Mango Beers from St John Brewers and wandered through Louis Vuitton and finally settled on some towels and a necklace from an artist co-op booth. Our final stop of the cruise was St Maarten. We had planned on going kayaking but the day was extremely hot, muggy, and full sun so we decided to visit Philipsburg and the beach area. We wandered through some stores, walked the beach, and checked out what liquor we would have to buy! For lunch we decided on Barefoot Restaurant (mainly because it was close to the ferry and we were getting exhausted from the heat and sun). We were so glad we stopped here! We started with a couple of Carib's (beer) and an order of Conch Fritters (not dairy free) and an order of Jerk Chicken Wings. Greg enjoyed the Conch Fritters. The Chicken Wings were amazing. Insanely hot but jam packed with flavor. As I was dying from the heat of the wings our waitress kept checking on me but they were so delicious that it was worth the pain. Our waitress also offered me a tip for the spicy wings. When you are done eating take a sugar packet and sprinkle it on your tongue. This actually did work better than bread and I can't drink milk so there you go lol. For entrees we chose Chicken Roti (chicken curry with vegetables in a thin bread (similar to a pita wrap but much better). We were so happy with these days on the islands it really made up for the less than stellar cruise. It's been a while since I first started writing about our trip. To read abot Miami and our first day on Celebrity Reflection visit here: http://wanderlusthearts.weebly.com/1/post/2013/12/leaving-miami-and-boarding-celebrity-reflection.html Room: I wrote earlier in about our room and our very nice attendant Paz. However, Celebrity has a severe lack of training when it comes down to allergies. Robyn is allergic to feathers (yes she has a million allergies). At first she didn't notice that the bedding was all feathers (probably in part do to the lovely drinks at the Molecular Bar). Robyn asked Paz to remove all feather bedding and replace it. Paz was happy to do so however Robyn's allergies continued. Robyn then asked for the flowers, air diffuser, etc. to be removed. On the last day of the cruise Robyn discovered the feather bedding was rolled up in a bag underneath their bed! The simple fact the bedding was still in her room was ridiculous in addition to this atrocity when you roll up feather bedding the dander flies everywhere! I don't understand how it's not common knowledge on a cruise ship that feather allergies need to be taken seriously and all bedding removed and the room should be cleaned properly. Needless to say Robyn came home with sinus problems which turned into a lung infection and nasal infection. Dining: Our first full day at sea had us enjoying breakfast in Blu. With a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy breakfast is one of the hardest meals to enjoy. Luckily for Robyn they were able to make gluten free french toast and reserve gluten free pancakes for the next day. I was able to enjoy eggs and meats or muesli with soy milk. For some reason they are unable to make any sweet breakfast items with soy milk. For dinner we again dined in Blu. Throughout the whole week Savio and Latemia were warm, friendly, and efficient. For some reason it seemed as though they went above and beyond for Robyn's Gluten Allergy but couldn't doing anything for my Dairy Allergy. I didn't receive any dessert from any restaurant for the entire week. We did thoroughly enjoy the Lawn Club Grill twice during our cruise. Once for lunch and once for dinner. We didn't try the flat-breads due to our allergies but we definitely didn't leave hungry. The salad bar is plentiful, the steaks cooked to perfection, the scallops and shrimp were flavorful, and the sides were great. We tried the buffet at lunch time occasionally and it's really a nightmare for those with food allergies. None of the items were labeled, staff couldn't understand our allergies due to language barriers, and we could never find a manager or maitre d. Alcoves We booked an alcove for days Sea Days prior to boarding the cruise. For $149 (sea day) you are supposed to be able to receive: "It's the perfect escape - within your vacation escape. Some of the pleasures include:
He or she can help arrange a series of relaxing and refreshing enhancements:
The second Alcove day the manager came over and told us that we can order from The Porch, The Bars, or the Mast Grill and the attendants can get it. We received two bottles of water again and a fruit and cheese platter. When we called the attendant over to order lunch he handed us the menu from The Porch. We explained we wanted to order from the Mast Grill. He stated we can only order from The Porch. We told him how we couldn't eat there because of food allergies (it's sandwiches and panini's). The attendants response was well give me back the menu then. We informed him that the manager told us it was find to order from the Mast Grill and so he finally gave in. Later in the day we ordered drinks from the bar and that seemed like we were hassling the attendant as well. Greg eventually asked for some of the plates to be removed from our table and the attendant took two and never came back. Needless to say we cleared our own table! Finally we had enough and just abandoned our alcove. We wrote a comment card at the guest relations explaining the situation. The manager called us back and offered us an alcove for the last sea day (amazing considering we couldn't pay to book one for some reason earlier). After thinking things over we told the manager thank you but we don't want it. Even if it was free we would still be dealing with the same incompetent attendants who would now also know that we complained. Bars
This was really a major high or a major low! The interior bars were wonderful however the outdoor bars were horrible! On multiple occasions that outdoor bars were understaffed, under-trained, ran out of ingredients, or were just rude. Celebrity knew that this cruise had a large group in addition to ordinary guests. In addition to this Celebrity can now track drinks better thanks to knowing how many people signed up for the drink packages. The Sunset Bar was the worst of them all. The drinks were inconsistent, they were constantly out of ingredients, and none of the bartenders were professional. One time we asked for a drink out of their menu book. The bartender made it incorrectly and when we pointed out that the basil was missing he stated they didn't have any. He then proceeded to take the menus away from all passengers. I guess you were only allowed a beer or a mix drink from a carton! The Mast Bar wasn't horrible but it was definitely inconsistent. The main bartender was the only one to make a proper drink. The Molecular Bar was outstanding! Marius was friendly, had a great memory, and made outstanding drinks! The drinks do take a little time to make so there is always a small wait. However the drinks are totally worth it. We tried the Coming up roses, Black Mamba, Cazarita, Violet Hummingbird, Hawaiian lava, Tanned Russian, Ginger Mojito, Mr. B, and my personal favorite Scorpion Kiss. Ensemble Lounge was good although definitely was an older crowd. Michael's Club was our favorite evening hang out spot! We were fortunate to meet Andrei and Ramona here! Both Andrei and Ramona are friendly, funny, hard working, and wonderful to be around. The guys enjoyed a beer tour at Michael's and received a certificate for finishing all of them. In addition to the terrific beer selection the guys also enjoyed a variety of Bourbons and Scotches. Tomorrow I'll finish up the trip with the stories from St Thomas / St John, Puerto Rico, and St Maarten. Neither Robyn nor I slept very much so we decided to get up and take a walk through South Beach for some exercise. After stopping at Starbucks we all got ready to head to the Pier to board Celebrity cruise lines newest ship Reflection. I need to preface my entire cruise review with how poorly trained the staff on this cruise was. I will note this a lot through the review. We had heard about how Celebrity was a step ahead of other lines, how they were willing to go the extra mile, how they could accommodate food allergies, etc etc etc. Come to find almost every staff member was new and this was their training session. Sadly we definitely suffered and all voted this our worst cruise ever. In face Celebrity devotees stated to us that there was a noticeable difference between this cruise and all of their other cruises they have enjoyed with Celebrity. In addition to this their was a large group booking on this cruise. We have no complaints about the Pied Piper group at all. We met so many nice people and enjoyed watching some of their parties. However it appeared Celebrity was ill prepared for the number of people on this ship. I don't understand how you run out of ingredients when you know before hand how many people will be on the cruise, how many people are partaking in the drink package, and where activities will be taking place. The traffic heading to the pier was pretty bad. Miami is the most congested pier we have yet to visit. We went through security, headed towards the Aqua Class line, signed our documents and headed to the gangway. Upon boarding the ship we were offered Mimosa's or a glass of Champagne. Naturally we accepted a glass each. We wandered around the ship looking at all of the sitting areas, restaurants, bars, etc. With our food allergies (mine dairy and Robyn's gluten) we were very limited to choices for lunch. Bistro on 5 makes crepes which aren't dairy free (apparently they do have a gluten free version but we never saw this). The Porch has sandwiches (bread and cheese) so that was out too. We decided to go to the buffet even though it's our least favorite place on a ship. Eating at the buffet was acceptable but tricky. Nothing is labeled for food allergies and when you ask the staff about the ingredients they have no idea what you are talking about. Supposedly others have talked to the Maitre d off the buffet but none were apparent to us. Side note: This is the first cruise that I didn't gain any weight from food. Thanks to my dairy allergy and Celebrity's lack of food allergy knowledge I hardly ate on this cruise. Our rooms were delayed a bit and around 2:00 pm the announcement was made that they were ready. We headed down to our rooms 1521 and 1519. The room was well laid out, our bed in 1519 was closest to the bathroom. The bathroom was large and the shower was adequate but does have an amazing shower head! The couch and vanity area were nice and the balcony was of good size. The downfall to the Aqua Class Room is definitely the storage space. I've read how others brought collapsible cubes for the top shelves (above bed) but even so who wants to live out of cubes for a week. More drawers please!!! Our stateroom attendant Paz knocked on our door to introduce herself. She told us about the canapes that would be coming, the Champagne on Ice, Complimentary 2 waters per day, and the fresh brewed tea daily. Paz is very nice and very efficient (but a lack of training was discovered in a few days - more later).
We ventured back out for some drinks thanks to our Premium Beverage Package. Finally it was time for Sailaway. Then things turned downhill for me. With a storm over Cuba, a storm over the Caribbean, and rough currents all along the Florida coast our ship was rocking and rolling! This was the first cruise I have ever been sick on! I was pale, green, cold, shaking, and dizzy. I had to cancel drinks and dinner plans with our friends. I headed back up to bed. I took two Bonine's (thank god I brought this as a precaution), drank ginger ale, and ate a few french fries. Our friends dined in the Qsine specialty restaurant and stated that some of the items were good but nothing was memorable. After a good nights sleep I finally felt better in the morning. The next day Paz also had a tip that a Green Apple will help with the seasickness. Side note: the ship definitely rolled a lot all throughout the entire cruise! I took a Bonine at least once a day sometimes twice and Robyn also had to start taking them half way through the cruise. We heard from a staff member that the Captain only put the Stabilizers out on the first day as to not use too much fuel. We just got back from a fun filled weeks vacation. We started our vacation with a night's stay in South Beach Miami. The next day we boarded Celebrity Cruises newest ship Reflection. We visited Puerto Rico, St Thomas, and St Marten. As soon as I get out from this mountain of laundry that needs cleaning I will start a day by day post of our entire vacation. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the ridiculous! Here's some of what will be in the review American Airlines South Beach Marriott Zuma Miami Joe's Stone Crab Miami Celebrity Reflection (Aqua Class, Blu, Lawn Club, Alcoves, Bars, Service) Puerto Rico - Barrachina, Coach, Don Q St Thomas - St John on your own - Cinnamon Bay and Joe's Rum Hut St Marten - Barefoot Restaurant I'm so excited for our fall trip. We will be venturing back to the Caribbean with friends. This trip came together so easily and at a great price. It was meant to be!
We will be flying to Florida with American Airlines, staying at the South Beach Marriott (for a pre-cruise night), and cruising on Celebrity Cruise Lines newest ship Reflection. We aren't sure yet about our plans in Miami but so far I have been researching: Sushi Samba - Restaurant The Bazaar - Restaurant Yardbird South Table & Bar - Restaurant Scarpetta - Restaurant Nobu - Restaurant Ola - Restaurant Miami Beach Chocolates - Chocolate shop with Dairy Free offerings On Celebrity Reflection we have opted for an Aqua Class room. Here's a breakdown of the room amenities: Service · Priority check-in · Express luggage delivery · Personalized Concierge service · Priority disembarkation based on your travel needs · Complimentary shoeshine service · Access to the exclusive Concierge Class Pre-departure Lounge · Our signature friendly, personalized service with a guest to staff ratio of nearly 2:1 · Twice daily service (makeup and turndown) · Daily ice service in stainless steel ice buckets · A Personal Spa Concierge to arrange AquaSpa® treatments · Daily delivery of bottled water and tea Dining · Main and specialty restaurant seating time preferences · Expanded room service menu · 24 hour complimentary room service Stateroom Features · Private mini-bar* · Interactive Samsung flat-screen television system to view and select shore excursions, order room service, and watch movies* · Private safe · Dual voltage 110/220AC outlets Amenities · Welcome Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine Daily delivery of Afternoon Savories · Fresh fruit · Fresh flowers · Personalized stationery · Use of binoculars and golf umbrella · Robe · Complimentary tote bag · Custom blended bath products (shampoo, conditioner and lotion), shower cap, cotton balls · Additional bathroom amenities, including shower gel, facial spray and lip balm · Water/wine glasses · Celebrity eXhale™ bedding featuring custom premium mattresses, plush duvets and pillows, · Hair dryer · Complimentary access to the Persian Garden and Relaxation Room · Aromatherapy diffuser · Pillow menu · Additional bathroom amenities, including shower gel, facial spray and lip balm · Plush Frette® bathrobes · Slippers · Oversized 100% cotton bath towels · On-demand wellness programming including meditation and yoga · Hansgrohe® Massaging showerhead Here's a breakdown of the ship restaurants: Main Restaurant - set times and any time dining (guarantees food allergy awareness) Blu – Aqua Class / Suites Mast Grill – Burgers (Bad for gluten allergy) Oceanview – Buffet Aqua Spa Bistro on Five – Crepes / $5 pp (Doesn't seem great for gluten and dairy allergy) Café Al Bacio – Coffee / Gelato $3/6 The Porch – Panini / $5 pp (Doesn't seem great for gluten and dairy allergy) Tuscan Grill - $35pp Qsine - $45 pp Murano - $45 pp Lawn Club - $40 pp I'll post more as I keep researching :-) |
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